While we wait for the hopeful announcement of a new Splinter Cell game in the future, Tom Clancy’s fans will be happy to know that Breakpoint is actually fun, now. The new Ghost Mode solved many of the issues that plagued the original version, and while it isn’t fully healed from its painful stint as a non-Ghost Recon game, the latest entry in the franchise is trying its best to course-correct. If you are one of the many people who were put off by it at launch, I would recommend you try and give it a try now – just like the eponymous Group for Specialised Tactics, Ubisoft might yet turn this near-miss of the series’ breakpoint into a franchise victory.

It may be a simple old-school arcade twin-stick shooter but the huge maps, secondary objectives, and fun things to discover like being able to collapse buildings by driving through them elevate Renegade Ops to must-play territory.

It's definitely going to be punishing to casual players or people who simply aren't that good, but if you do manage to get to grips with it, it's very rewarding. It can sometimes feel a little grindy, especially early on as you're trying to save up money to perfect your first load out, but other than that this is one good looking and well-made man stabber.

A homage to retro classics is one thing but having gameplay that’s both challenging and fun makes Axiom Verge special. If you grew up in that era, you’d be a fool to miss out on this and if you’re new to the genre, I can’t think of a better entry.

How does The Sims 4 measure in the grand scheme of things? It’s an excellent stepping stone for what could be moving forward, although this comes at the cost of numerous add-ons and expansions raiding our pockets.

With a solid blend of strategy and RPG elements, this game does a good job of putting you in your character’s shoes. It’s refreshing to find a strategy game with this much customization, allowing you to upgrade each character the way you want to, not simply unlocking a new, more powerful unit.

If you like the idea of Resident Evil 4 crossed half-and-half with Silent Hill then The Evil Within is the game for you. Just be prepared to put up with 30 FPS.

Victoria 3 is a political and economic simulation of unparalleled depth, complexity and indifference to you. Stumble upon a narrative hook and it can reel you in, even if it struggles to maintain a human connection.

A mostly triumphant and surprisingly refreshing return to the FPS' favourite setting. Although the single-player is rather lacking, the attention to detail and harrowing atmosphere make for some intense and gripping multiplayer battles.

If you've got a solid Internet connection and some spare cash you might want to consider braving the DRM, or you can hope that Ubisoft will stop being so bloody stubborn, realise the error of their ways and scale down the DRM so that everybody can enjoy the impressive game Blue Byte have so lovingly created.

Saber Interactive has crafted a highly entertaining asymmetrical multiplayer game in Evil Dead: The Game, and a lot of that is down to an understanding of how best to implement the quirks of the source material into game form. With possession, slapstick, gore, violence, chainsaws, and malevolent trees, Evil Dead: The Game is as Evil Dead as it could be.

For old, war-tested Stronghold players Crusader 2 is a triumphant evolution of the game that they've held dear for the last twelve years. For the rest of us though, there is perhaps no better time to see what all the fuss is about.

More importantly, it's actually one of the best fighting games available on the market in its own right, so it shouldn't be overlooked by those who enjoy the genre but not the sport.

Ubisoft are to be applauded for grasping, as Hi-Rez Studios did with Tribes Ascend, that the secret to a successful free-to-play title is building a healthy player base first and foremost and watching the income flow from that, rather than nickel and diming gamers for even basic content. It also helps if your core game is any good to begin with, and Might & Magic Duel of Champions is most certainly that. In fact, I'd heartily recommend it to fans of the Might & Magic series or online trading card games in general even if it had a price tag attached.

Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is easily the best single-player FPS of 2017, but it has surprising problems. The story is great, well-written and well told, and goes to places both dark and humorous, but it leaves a lot left over for Wolfenstein 3. The levels are fantastically designed with many ways to approach them, but occasionally you’re not sure where you need to go and there’s often not enough variety in the levels – we’re not sure we want to see another metallic Nazi base ever again. And the combat’s just fantastic. We loved every moment of it and we’re certain we’ll want to play it again, but to be honest… The New Order was a little bit more satisfying.

The more you play it the more it feels like a patched version of previous entries and less like a new iteration of the series. It doesn’t mean you should avoid Autosport if you’re looking for a return to form from Codemasters and the Grid name. Far from it.

At the end of the day there is a huge amount of content here, and everything is extremely replayable due to the open-ended nature of the gameplay (not to mention an unexpected sandbox mode). So, if you’re up for an addicting experience that meshes puzzles, driving/boating/piloting and balancing acts into a single creative concoction, I’d definitely recommend Radical Relocation.

The ability to drive everything and anything combined with the detailed levels and highly flexible units makes it a very realistic experience for an RTS and it's not far off being the modern-warfare version of "Company of Heroes."

Following the amazing Tomb Kings expansion, I wasn’t expecting to see yet another curve ball, but The Curse of the Vampire Coast mostly delivers it.

Creating the rat cannon was a sure fire giggle and I loved collecting coins al la Mario in order to pay Bosco for his latest sales item.

Fortunately by being just generally being more challenging for both stealth and action gamers Knife of Dunwall is a decent piece of DLC no matter how it’s sliced. There may be only two real missions over five levels but there’s so much packed in those levels that I spend a good few days exploring them, and was left fully satisfied.

As delightful and clever as Reus is, the intensity of the play when you find yourself juggling multiple projects unfortunately lets it down, as it doesn't feel built to support such action.

The Calm Before The Storm is probably a better title. The third episode of Telltale’s second season of Batman isn’t big on action, massive shocks, or set-pieces, but it is big on character development, interaction, making choices, and probably making the wrong ones. Fractured Mask isn’t the most eventful episode, but it’s still fun, all the characters are clashing wonderfully, and it’s fun waiting for the hammer to fall and your choices to bite you hard. Which will probably happen in Episode 4. We can’t wait.

Everything is competently implemented without excelling in any individual direction, but the combination and sheer variety of content and fan service has to be commended, and for once it's nice to play through a kids game that doesn't just shoehorn the cinematic action sequences into an average procession of linear levels.

Cronos: The New Dawn is a remnant of the legacy of survival horror. It takes whispers from two titans of the genre and blends them with its own ideas. It would have benefited hugely from ruthless editing in areas, but remains a masterclass in world building and a perfect balance of tension and release.

A fantastic show of force from the long-standing Team Ninja, but one that feels like it didn’t truly understand the mass appeal of the genre. Spruced up with the group’s signature style, Nioh only falters with its less captivating world. We can appreciate the heritage, but it won’t grab everyone.

Everything is competently implemented without excelling in any individual direction, but the combination and sheer variety of content and fan service has to be commended, and for once it's nice to play through a kids game that doesn't just shoehorn the cinematic action sequences into an average procession of linear levels.

While A World Betrayed is not as expansive as Mandate of Heaven’s prequel expansion, it adds two new factions that play completely different from any other in the game so far. If you love 3K and could use a more novel experience on your next playthrough, definitely give A World Betrayed a try.